解説　場面 65「宛名と並べ方」

"There are one or two indications, and yet the utmost pains have been taken to remove all clues. The address, you observe is printed in rough characters. But the Times is a paper which is seldom found in any hands but those of the highly educated. We may take it, therefore, that the letter was composed by an educated man who wished to pose as an uneducated one, and his effort to conceal his own writing suggests that that writing might be known, or come to be known, by you. Again, you will observe that the words are not gummed on in an accurate line, but that some are much higher than others. 'Life,' for example is quite out of its proper place. That may point to carelessness or it may point to agitation and hurry upon the part of the cutter. On the whole I incline to the latter view, since the matter was evidently important, and it is unlikely that the composer of such a letter would be careless. If he were in a hurry it opens up the interesting question why he should be in a hurry, since any letter posted up to early morning would reach Sir Henry before he would leave his hotel. Did the composer fear an interruption—and from whom?"

「手がかりをすべて消すために最大限の苦労をしていますが、一つ二つ、しるしはあります。ご覧のとおり、宛名は粗雑な活字体です。ですが、『タイムズ』は、高い教育を受けた者以外が手にすることはまれな新聞です。そこで、この手紙は教養ある人物が、無学な者を装って作ったと考えられます。そして、自分の筆跡を隠そうとした努力は、その筆跡をあなたが知っているか、今後知ることになりそうだと示唆します。また、語は正確な一列に貼られておらず、ほかよりずっと高い位置にあるものがあるのに、お気づきでしょう。例えば『命』は、正しい位置からまったく外れています。これは不注意を示すのかもしれませんし、切り取った者の動揺や焦りを示すのかもしれません。全体として私は後者の見方に傾きます。明らかに大切な件で、こうした手紙を作る者が不注意だったとは考えにくいからです。もし急いでいたなら、なぜ急ぐ必要があったのか、という面白い問題が生じます。早朝までに投函すれば、ヘンリー卿がホテルを出る前に届いたはずだからです。書き手は邪魔が入るのを恐れたのでしょうか。誰の邪魔を？」

"We are coming now rather into the region of guesswork," said Dr. Mortimer.

「そろそろ、憶測の領域へ入ってきましたね」とモーティマー医師は言った。